How heavy do you tow and do you use a WDH?

[S2019]

You can select several options, if you have several trailers you are towing.

I would be interested to hear about peoples experiences with or without weight distribution hitch at different weights and in different situations.

Myself, not decided with my newly purchased Little Guy Max travel trailer (3,010 dry and 310 tongue dry... probably more with full fresh water tank and after I swapped out the battery on the tongue for a AGM). Going on a short camping trip tomorrow without WDH, but still considering if I should make a future purchase.

Thanks for participating and thanks for any input!

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[Big Blue]

You will got lots of opinions on this on all sides of the issue. It really depends on what your towing and where your towing it. Some trailers will not accept a WDH. A rule of thumb I've heard for travel trailers is if the trailer is greater then half the weight of your tow vehicle a WDH is reccomended. Most rental trailers you have no choice. The Rangers hitch does not have different ratings for with and without a WDH some vehicles do.

I personally tow a 4000 lb travel trailer and use a WDH with sway control. It keep the truck more balanced and the trailer stabiler at highway speeds in wind and traffic.

 

[Cabose-1]

I dont tow tt's. Cargo trailers below 3500 and flat beds with small backhoes and stuff. Cars too. 5 to 7k. No wdh. Don't need one for my purposes.

Just make sure to use a

GEN-Y REBEL

adjustable hitch

 

[Burnt Money]

I tow a Sundance DX20 center console with a 140hp Suzuki with no issues. The trailer is single axle and aluminum. Whole setup probably weighs 3500-4000Lbs just an educated guess. I am also running the Livernois tow tune.

 

[BassRanger]

I've pulled the same trailer both with WDH w' friction sway and without with bags. The behind the wheel experience for me was pretty much identical, So I've switch to a normal hitch setup with bags. 5300# trailer with around 600# tongue weight. Top pic is bags, bottom is the WDH.

 

[Frenchy]

The most I have towed with the ranger was right around 5500 lbs. That was when I towed my 1983 280ZX from Leadville to Poncha Springs a few years back. Did I use a WDH? No. Why? Well it was on a Uhaul Auto Carrier and the way the truck was with the trailer loaded I did not need one. Simple as that

 

[S2019]

Thanks for the replies!

Interesting to see the poll results too. I wasn't expecting so many "No WDH" for over 500lb. of course it will depend on what you are towing. Travel trailers are big wind catchers so I guess it gets really important to have everything set up right, to avoid sway.

I went outside and attempted to weigh my TT tongue. The bathroom scale I have been using only goes up to 370 and I went above that now that the freshwater tank was full. I would guess that the tongue weight is about 400, but I will need to get a new scale to know.

I also measured fender heights in relation to tires. The fronts went up 3/8 of an inch and the rears went down 15/16 of an inch (or just about a whole inch) with the trailer hitched compared to without trailer.

I will also go on a short trip today so that will be another test. When I took it home from the dealer it was a 25 minute drive on the highway and I felt very comfortable with it then. Of course it was empty then and with an empty freshwater tank.

If I decide to get something it looks like I would consider the Andersen. Looks so simple and you don't have to worry about sharp turns when backing up. More money, but I think it would be worth it. Still deciding though if I get anything at all or just continue towing without.

Thanks!

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